How To Breathe
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Yang couldn't always afford to be the strong one. Sometimes, it needed to be someone else.


**A commission for maskedriderbiocore who asked for senior-year Bumblebees coming home from a mission to relax and snuggle.**

 **I hope my trademark fluff isn't getting repetitive or stale. I haven't written or posted a lot of Bumblebee recently, so this was just what I needed! Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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How To Breathe

Faunus ears flicked for the umpteenth time as golden eyes flashed down to check the pixilated green screen of her scroll.

 **3:38**

"She's late. Why is she late?"

Blake abandoned her previous post on her bed, far too antsy now to hope to read so much as another line in her book. She closed the tome and placed it on the bedside table, swinging her legs over the side of her mattress.

A shaky sigh rose up from her chest and passed out through her lips.

No matter how many years had passed, she still couldn't get used to it, the trepidation that went hand-in-hand with the other anxieties that clouded her mind whenever one of her teammates was late coming home.

It was their senior year at Beacon, and Blake was now twenty-one years old. And yet she still reacted to her partner's lateness in the same way she would have four years earlier.

"What is she doing?" she muttered to herself. "At least Ruby and Weiss _called_..."

The two of them had been sent out on a mission together several days ago. They'd completed their work yesterday, but poor weather had demanded they stay in Atlas until tomorrow when the Air Ships could fly safely again. Blake had just hung up a call with them both a few hours ago.

But Yang...

She was supposed to be home half an hour ago.

The last message Blake had received from her had said that she was boarding her ship and would be home at 3:00PM

 _So why is it 3:40 now and still nothing...?_

She stood and began pacing the room, ears drooping with worry as her feet padded restlessly.

The four of them had slept in four different rooms over the years, but even now as seniors, they couldn't help but stack the beds into bunks just as they had as freshmen. Blake's eyes traced the frames and covers of each bed now as she paced.

Hers was the only one with ruffled sheets.

Blake had arrived home from her solo mission last night, only to find that Ruby and Weiss were being delayed in getting home, and Yang was still wrapping things up on her end.

So she'd slept alone in their room last night, sorely missing Ruby's cheerful goodnight wishes, Weiss' check to see if she could flick off the bedside lamp, and Yang's almost instantaneous snoring.

She'd managed to sleep only with the promise from Yang that her girlfriend would be home this afternoon.

"So where _is_ she...?"

Blake put a hand to her face and sighed. Maybe Yang had texted her and she hadn't heard it? She retreated to her bed and opened up her scroll, but there were no new messages.

With a soft groan, Blake sat heavily down on the side of her bed once more and started to run her hands nervously through her hair, a habit that she'd never gotten around to breaking.

There was no use in trying to fool herself into thinking she might be able to calm down again. She was honestly amazed at herself that she'd held off on the pacing for as long as she had.

But in truth, her mind had begun swirling just one minute after 3PM, and it hadn't stopped since.

Now it was all spilling out.

She sighed, swallowing hard, trying to keep herself under control. Her heart was pounding thickly, and her fingers couldn't stop trembling as they tugged through her hair.

She was going to go crazy soon.

Yang had been late before, and usually, Blake would have Ruby and Weiss there to reassure her. But now she had no such luxury.

Like Blake, her girlfriend had been sent on a solo mission, though Yang's had been arguably more perilous.

"Just be safe..."

She pulled at her hair a few more times before deciding she'd resort to pacing again. But she stole another glance at her scroll first.

 **3:46**

Her heart throbbed again as she stood and began her frantic padding across the carpets, her breath choppy and uncomfortably short.

It was several minutes and a few dozen worried thoughts later when her ears suddenly swiveled at the sound of a series of knocks on the door. With a gasp, Blake's ears perked up tall as she faced the door.

She'd recognize that knocking pattern anywhere.

The knob turned before she could find the strength to rush over to open it. Her heart nearly broke with relief as a disheveled blonde girl pushed through and stumbled inside.

"Yang-!"

The brawler looked up, grinning a little lopsidedly.

"Oh, that's right! You got back early," she recalled. "Hey, Blake."

The Faunus girl rushed to her, throwing her arms around her shoulders and nearly sobbing with relief. Some invisible weight had been lifted, and she could suddenly breathe easier.

"You're late," she sighed into loose, messy blonde hair. "God... Why didn't you text me?"

"Sorry. Battery died."

Yang wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her in with a fervency she lacked in any other situation. This warmth and comfort with which she held Blake was unique only to their specific embraces.

Blake tucked herself into the side of Yang's neck, breathing her familiar scent deeply into her lungs.

"I was worried sick..." she mumbled.

Yang could feel her shaking slightly, her heart beating hard against her own chest.

"Sorry." She tightened her grip on Blake. "Mind if I make it up to you a bit?"

"In a minute." Blake needed that much longer to hold her and to be held by her.

Yang contentedly obliged, nuzzling affectionately into her girlfriend's hair. Blake's was much softer and more pleasant-smelling than her own, that was for sure.

"God, I need a shower..." she muttered.

"Not yet," Blake grunted. "You're not getting away that easily. Not until I've given you a piece of my mind."

"Alright, fair enough. Now how's about I give you a piece of _mine_ ~?"

Blake pulled back a few inches and tilted her face, finally locking gold with lavender.

"Please do."

She slid one hand up to Yang's cheek, and her girlfriend copied the motion, bracing her free hand on the small of Blake's back to draw her in. There was only a breath between them, and they shared it as their lips met, moving together with a soft firmness.

They'd missed this.

They'd only been apart for a few days, but those days had been ridden with tension, and they needed this now.

The reunion kisses always made the hours upon days of worry and uncertainty worth it all.

They were back now.

Together.

Their greatest fears were that one day they'd be split apart on a mission and this reunion would never come again.

But even if such a nightmare were ever to become reality – God forbid – it wasn't this time.

Blake pushed her lips a little harder against hers, nipping softly by means of informing Yang how concerned she'd been about her tardiness.

Yang accepted the punishment, then kissed back a little harder. She needed Blake to know that _she'd_ been the only thing on Yang's mind all this time.

From the second that goodbye kiss had ended, a lot of thoughts would pass through their minds. Thoughts of the current mission, thoughts of how to deal with trouble should they encounter it, thoughts of which words to use to negotiate with the people they met.

Those thoughts came and went.

But the only thought remained, constantly nagging at the backs of their minds throughout the mission, was _this_.

Those parting kisses were only half as bitter as these reuniting kisses were sweet relief.

Blake took advantage of the moment as much as Yang did. The initial kiss ended, but after a few breaths they went back in for another.

The firm, desperate kisses gradually faded in intensity into fonder, gentler things. The kisses of necessity became kisses of affection, relief, and joy.

After several moments of this, it was Blake who pulled herself away, only to embrace Yang once again.

"You're late..." she chided her again. "But at least you're safe."

Yang chuckled and petted through the Faunus girl's hair to smooth it out. She could tell Blake had been pulling at it.

"Yeah. I made it back in one piece. That's pretty impressive, right?"

"Are you sure?" Blake checked. "I'll never forget that one time-"

"Hey, hey," Yang hushed her with another soft peck on the lips. "Don't worry about 'that one time', okay? That's over and done with. I'm here now and I'm fine, okay? Promise. A few scratches here and there, but nothin' the good old aura couldn't handle on its own. Nothing internal either. I stopped by the infirmary just to get checked out so I could tell you for sure."

"So that's why you were late..." Blake inhaled slowly. "Damn it, Yang..."

"I'm sorry!" she whined playfully. "I was just trying to save you some worry, but I guess I ended up worrying you in another way, huh?"

"Yes," Blake growled. "But you're right. At least you're not hurt this time. I'm glad for that. I hate it when they split us up for these missions. Just because we're seniors they think they can send us off alone, but our missions are still dangerous. We need each other now more than ever..."

"I think so, too," Yang sighed, still hugging her. "But we can't make the rules. At least Ruby and Weiss got to stay together this time. And a few other huntsman and huntresses in my nick of the woods joined me with my fight, too! So it wasn't all that bad. We got rid of those Grimm in no time."

"That's good. I'm just... _so_ glad you're not hurt this time."

"Yeah." Yang could hear the tremble in the girl's voice, and she softened her own. "I'm fine, Blake. I'm fine. Don't worry, okay? Just breathe. Deep breaths, yeah? I'm okay. Promise."

There had been a few times over the years she'd returned to Blake in less-than-fine condition. A few of those times, she'd been brought in on a stretcher, unconscious, with wires in her arms and an oxygen mask over her mouth. Yang tended to take on the most intense, and arguably some of the most dangerous solo missions due to her semblance.

But sometimes even _she_ took a hit she couldn't get back up from.

She knew Blake worried about her just as much as Yang worried about Blake, if not more. Even now, she could discern all the signs; Blake's frazzled hair, her shaking breaths, her thumping pulse...

"Hey..." Yang murmured again. "Blake, I'm alright. _Breathe_." She kissed each of the girl's Faunus ears in turn, then trailed her lips down to her temples, her cheeks, her forehead, the bridge of her nose...

She kissed her everywhere she could until she'd drawn Blake out of her reverie. The Faunus girl shook herself a bit, still clinging to the back of Yang's shirt.

"Sorry," she sighed. Finally, she put on her best smile. "Welcome back, Yang."

"Thanks! It's so good to be back. Like, you have _no_ idea."

"I think I might have a bit of an idea," Blake decided. "But why don't you tell me all about it after a shower? You look like you need one."

"I bet I smell like it, too."

"There's that, yes."

They both chuckled softly as they finally released one another from the embrace, though Blake kept a hand on Yang's back just to ensure she was steady.

She guided her exhausted partner over to her drawers so she could rummage about for her pajamas. As she dug about, Yang found a new topic of conversation.

"How'd your mission go?" she wondered.

"Fine. No issues. All I had to do was meet with someone to discuss intel, after all," Blake shrugged.

"That's good. But Ruby and Weiss aren't back?"

"Oh, right. I didn't tell you yet, but they're going to be delayed until tomorrow. There's a big storm in Atlas, so they've got a hotel for tonight."

"Oh~ho, I bet they're gonna enjoy themselves, those two," Yang smirked. "And that also means _we_ will have this room to ourselves." She winked, and it might've looked as seductive as she'd intended it to if she hadn't swayed on her feet in the picture of utter exhaustion.

Blake rolled her eyes.

"As much as I'd love to take you up on the offer, let's just make sure you survive the shower first, shall we?"

"Alright, alright."

Yang pulled her in for another kiss before hobbling over to the bathroom. Blake offered to help her if need be, but of course Yang only made suggestive comments in return, so Blake left her to her own devices after closing the door.

While Yang showered, Blake calmed herself in the meantime. She got herself a glass of cold water from the tap, gulping down all but a sip of it. She used the leftover water to pour onto her hand, then ran her fingers over her forehead and around her face to cool herself down.

Yang was back. She was _here_ and she was _fine_. Blake just needed to keep reminding herself of those facts.

Once she'd taught herself how to breathe properly again, and the quivering had ebbed from her fingertips, Blake put her glass aside and changed into her own sleepwear.

Only now that her girlfriend was back would she be able to rest easily.

As she waited for Yang to emerge from the shower, Blake tidied up the room a bit, though considering the fact that she'd been alone since she'd gotten home last night, there wasn't much to tidy. After putting away her book and glass, she sat heavily down onto her bed again, keeping her ears perked towards the bathroom in case it sounded like Yang needed help.

But there was a happy, off-tune hum swirling through the air, and not a single sign of distress. Blake smiled, leaned back against the headboard over her pillows, and waited.

Several minutes later, the water stopped and she heard the hair dryer. Then there was silence, the ruffling of clothing, and at last the door creaked open.

Yang stepped out in her sleepwear, an orange tank-top and black shorts just like always. A wet towel dangled around her shoulders, her tangle of yellow hair leaking a few drops onto the carpet. She put one hand against the wall for support, though she grinned charismatically at her girlfriend.

"Shower was a success!"

"I'm glad. Need help?"

Blake made a move to stand and go to her, but Yang held up a hand to stop her.

"Nah, I'm good. You've done enough worryin' about me. I'll come to you myself."

So Blake stayed put and waited a little longer.

Yang crossed the room with a bit of a limp to her gait, a few groans slipping out every other step or so. As she neared the bed, Blake opened up her arms.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Peachy!" Yang smiled. Though when she finally reached the bed, she all but collapsed into Blake's arms, making the mattress bounce. "Just... maybe I'll sleep in your bed tonight? I don't know if I can make it up to mine."

"Of course you can." Blake ran her hands all up and down Yang's back, threading ginger fingers through her damp hair. "To tell you the truth, if you'd insisted on climbing up to your bed to sleep, I would've either held you down and made you sleep here, or I would've followed you up. I need to be with you right now..."

Her voice tapered off, and it was probably the most vulnerable Yang had heard her sound in months.

"I know," she murmured. "Don't worry, I wouldn't've gone to bed without you, Blake. I need you, too."

Blake inhaled sharply, trying to keep the tears back behind her eyes. Her ears folded comfortably as Yang pulled her in close, back into that warm, familiar embrace that only they could share.

The Faunus girl tucked her face into her neck, gently trailing kisses along the exposed skin of her shoulder. She felt Yang start to do the same, nuzzling into her hair, peppering kisses along the side of her neck.

As Blake continued, her lips passed over a few tiny pink lines.

Most of Yang's scars were on the front of her body, the results of where she'd glared down her many, many opponents face-to-face.

But the majority of Blake's scars were on her back, the marks of where her old acquaintances had stabbed her there, in every sense.

Yang knew her girlfriend's body better than any map or textbook. Not even the sleep shirt could deter her familiar fingers from gliding over to the space just beneath her left shoulder blade. She slid her fingers several inches diagonally downward, tracing the length of the largest scar with perfect precision.

Not even Blake herself knew the marks as well as Yang did.

But just as Yang knew hers, Blake knew Yang's.

She reached up, gliding her fingers over Yang's tank-top, ruffling it just slightly as she came to a pause at her collar. A few inches of a pink scar peeked out from her shirt there, and Blake leaned forward to press her lips to it.

That was the scar Yang had sustained while shielding Blake with her own body, from no one else's blade but Adam's. It had nearly killed her, nearly reached her heart.

Blake still cringed to remember it.

Which was why she always kissed it so tenderly, so dearly, every chance she could.

That included now.

She pressed her lips firmly over Yang's chest, her arms locking around her torso and back. She could feel Yang's heartbeat, strong and healthy, a major contrast to the weak thrum it had been at the time she'd first sustained the deep wound. But as the memories flooded over her mind, Blake's eyes leaked wetness onto her girlfriend's shirt.

Yang felt the girl's embrace tighten, felt the warmth dripping onto her skin. She paused her playful kisses along Blake's neck and pulled back a little.

"Hey... Blake, it's alright. God, you gotta stop dwelling in the past. It's not gonna do any good. For anyone."

Yang pressed her hands to the girl's back and spread her fingers, trying to cover as many inches of Blake's body as she could. She pet through her hair, kissed her ears, then her cheeks to catch the tears.

"Sorry..." Blake mumbled.

"Shhh. It's alright. Everything's alright, Blake."

Yang brushed their cheeks together, then bumped their noses lightly. She fluttered her eyelashes in a silly, playful manner, one that had Blake laughing a bit.

Yang kissed her lips again, working her mouth slowly over Blake's, until the shuddering breaths became calm and even once more.

Blake reciprocated, leaning herself back against the headboard as Yang moved over her. The blonde braced a bit of her weight against the wood – they were both exhausted from their missions and the last thing either of them needed was to get winded from too much kissing.

Blake slipped her arms up along the brawler's back, the wet towel falling uselessly to the floor as Yang's natural body heat did its job to dry her hair and skin.

Eyes closed, they engaged in a few kisses for several more minutes, just savoring each other with every sense - her beautifully-sculpted figure, her warm affection that sent tingles through the fingertips, her precious breathing, her lips that tasted of love, her scent of comfort and home...

The tears stopped without Blake's knowing it, and no longer were her eyes assaulted by those little stings of heat.

Instead, she focused on the feeling of Yang's chest expanding in time with her own, her hair falling over her shoulder and into Blake's lap, her fingers circling over her skin – five on her cheek and five at her opposite hip.

Blake returned the favor, kneading the pads of her fingers gently over Yang's back and shoulders as the kisses continued.

Only when her girlfriend tensed did Blake pull their faces apart.

"Yang? Are you okay?"

Yang could see the panic forming in those golden eyes again, even after she'd just spent so long trying to chase it away. She quickly nodded, resting her forehead against Blake's.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just sore is all. I'm fine, Blake. _Please_..." She dipped her head far enough to be able to run her lips over Blake's collar, just above her heartbeat.

Blake didn't want Yang's efforts to go to waste, either. She got control over herself and fought off the prickles of worry. She even pulled up a tiny purr from the back of her throat.

"Maybe you'd like a massage?"

Yang all but whimpered.

"Oh god, yes puh- _leez_."

Blake chuckled and moved aside a bit, having Yang lie down on her stomach. Yang folded her arms over the pillows and buried her face in the softness where Blake's scent wreathed through the air.

As she got comfortable, she felt Blake shifting about above her, settling her weight beside Yang's hip. The blonde waited in blissful anticipation as Blake got herself situated.

And then, the heavenly hands pressed onto her back and started to knead.

Yang moaned even before her girlfriend's hands had even begun to move. Blake blushed, rolling her eyes yet again as he ears flicked.

"Really, Yang? I just started..."

"But it feeeels sooooo goooood~!"

"Alright. Just keep it down, please."

Blake leaned a bit of her weight forward, adding a slight bit of pressure onto Yang's stiff back. Her partner stifled another loud moan into her pillow, causing Blake to smirk a little.

"Just take it easy," she purred, leaning down and whispering into Yang's ear. "You're done with your mission. It's time to relax, Yang. Breathe..."

Yang couldn't do much more than sigh and close her eyes.

Blake carefully gathered all of Yang's hair and tucked it aside over one of her shoulders. Despite how wet and gnarled it had been a few moments ago, Yang's hair was now incredibly warm and soft.

Blake ran her hands through it for a moment before she continued with her massage, pressing her fingertips into the knots and coils hidden beneath Yang's shirt and skin.

She loosened the muscles up first, patting firmly all up and down Yang's back and over her shoulder blades. When she balanced her palms at the small of Yang's back and leaned forward, there was a crack loud enough for Blake to hear.

Of course, even louder was the resulting moan of bliss.

" _God_ , Blaaaake~"

The Faunus girl smirked to herself again. She dipped forward, nuzzling into the side of Yang's neck to kiss her cheek.

"I love you too," she murmured.

She went on with her massage, alternating between using her palms, fingertips, knuckles, and elbows. Normally, she might've stopped a few minutes ago, but she wanted to spoil Yang as much as possible this time.

She rubbed Yang's back, then her shoulders and neck, down her upper arms and up her sides. There were too many cracks and unraveling kinks to count, and with every one of them came another moan from Yang.

Sometimes she'd pause to give her hands a rest, merely feeling Yang's sides expand steadily as she breathed.

Blake went on for nearly twenty minutes before her hands started to tingle. The small purr that had been rumbling in her chest all the while grew in volume a bit as she leaned down over Yang and murmured to her.

"Is this enough? Sorry, but my hands are going numb."

Yang's response was a string of incoherent noises. She rolled over onto her side, her eyes still closed, her arms tangled in her hair.

"Mmn Blake... Blaaake..." Mumbling sleepily, Yang reached up blindly for her.

Only now that Blake could see her face properly did she notice the little trails of tears that had ran down her cheeks. Startled, she laid herself down beside Yang, cupping either side of her face gently.

"Hey, are you alright? Yang, what's the matter?"

Her partner sighed again, glad to finally have her arms around Blake once more.

"Mm yeah," Yang slurred. "'Mm fine. Just... felt so good. I'm so... _so_ glad to be home, Blake... I missed you so much..."

Her lip trembled, but before more tears could come down, she pulled Blake in close and buried her face in the girl's collar.

It was moments like these that told Blake she'd been missed just as much as – if not even more dearly than – she herself had missed Yang.

Her girlfriend tended to put up a strong front, particularly when Ruby was around. Yang liked people to believe she loved going into battle, loved the rush of adrenaline the fighting brought her, loved the thrill of the chase.

And she _did_ enjoy all of those things.

But even a seasoned huntress like her got scared and lonely sometimes.

And when she was separated from those she cared about most, the homesickness was almost too much to bear.

Blake felt she understood. Yang couldn't _always_ afford to be the strong one. Sometimes, it needed to be someone else.

So Blake did all she could to give Yang that sense of security, to let her relax and cry as much as she needed to.

Blake would be strong for her.

And in learning how to be strong for others, she'd gradually built up a strength of her own.

She pulled Yang close, wrapping her up in the warm blankets, and she managed to get them over herself as well. Once that was all in order, she turned all her attention back to Yang.

Her girlfriend had grown quieter now, the tears of relief having come to a stop. Blake put a bit more vigor into her purr, knowing the sounds and vibrations provided some tranquility to battle the lingering unease that still bothered Yang.

She combed her fingers through Yang's hair with aimless familiarity, taking care of every strand of shining gold as she enjoyed the warmth emitting between them. She could feel Yang's lips going to work on her collar again, coating Blake's skin with small kisses.

Yang kept one hand on Blake's back, twirling a few silky onyx strands around her fingers, then tracing the patterns of her scars over her shirt. The other hand crept up towards her Faunus ears and scratched lightly, easing them from their drooped position up into a more natural one.

Blake purred a little harder, a little louder. Yang nestled close, tucking herself beneath her girlfriend's chin. Blake was breathing softly, the air from her lips dancing just above Yang's head, while her own breath fanned out over Blake's chest.

Her ear found itself resting in the space between Blake's collar and the side of her neck, easily picking up on the beat of her steady pulse.

Yang relished it, savored it, treasured it.

The purr was always an added bonus. It was such a lively sound, so pleasant and calming...

"Blake..." Yang whimpered. "I'm fallin' asleep..."

Blake purred a little louder.

"Good. You need it, Yang."

"But..." She sighed, too conflicted to even open her eyes again. "I wanna... another kiss..."

Blake chuckled and pulled away slightly, bumping their noses together softly in a similar fashion to how Yang had done it earlier.

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

She shifted just a bit, until she found Yang's waiting lips, parted and expectant.

Blake ended up doing most of the work, though she did appreciate Yang's tired attempts to reciprocate. She breathed into her, let Yang do the same, then repeated the process.

Eventually, Yang's grip on her went slack, and Blake pulled away from her mouth, only to tuck her girlfriend snugly back into the crook of her neck.

"Sleep," she coaxed, softening her purr.

Yang gave her one final squeeze.

"Blake... love you..."

The Faunus girl rubbed her cheek against Yang's temple, then rested her chin atop her head.

"I love you too, Yang."

At last, the words stopped, and only the softer sounds remained.

Their bodies rose and fell with peaceful breaths, mixed amongst the last few fading purrs. Their hearts beat in time with one another's, slowed with the beginnings of slumber now.

There was something about falling asleep within the arms of a lover that couldn't be found or felt any other way, with anyone else.

When apart, there were anxieties - some that were numbing, others that were chilling. There seemed to be a consistent, almost stifling pressure weighed down on their shoulders, pushing against their chests. A slow, lonely, subtle suffocation.

It was coming back to _this_ that was the cure to it all.

The gentle hands, the tender words, the warm kisses, the familiar heartbeats...

Those were the things that reminded them how to breathe.

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 **A/N: I hope this was alright! I know I've already written quite a few stories like this, even with Blake and Yang. But I honestly won't ever get sick of writing them, so I hope you guys will never get sick of reading them!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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